Ken Hall: Thoughts to chew on about 'No Name-Calling Week'

Lots of local schools have declared the last week in January "No Name-Calling Week," a time set aside to focus on the need for students to respect one another and learn about the advantages of more civilized behavior.

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By Ken Hall

recordonline.com

By Ken Hall

Posted Dec. 30, 2012 at 2:00 AM

By Ken Hall

Posted Dec. 30, 2012 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Lots of local schools have declared the last week in January "No Name-Calling Week," a time set aside to focus on the need for students to respect one another and learn about the advantages of more civilized behavior.

I wish them luck.

If name-calling is going to subside, we need to spend more than a week on the effort, and I really doubt that this is a problem that starts in the schools. I'm pretty sure that it's something students bring to school with them, and a single week devoted to workshops and discussions is not going to cure it.

I also have never been a fan of setting aside a week or a month, dedicating it to a single cause and thinking that somehow it will make a difference. If you stop buckling up after Seat Belt Awareness Week ends, you're probably going to regret it when your car rolls over. Leave the helmet home once Bike Safety Week expires and you better hope you land on your knees and elbows.

Crusades that get results don't end with the week or month. That's why you see signs urging you to buckle up all year long everywhere you drive. That's why you see all those warnings about smoking and its disgusting side effects.

Still, most of those successful efforts started with a more limited horizon and some of them have managed to incorporate special days or weeks as part of the larger cause. The Great American Smokeout used to be a big deal, a day in November when smokers would be encouraged, perhaps bullied, into seeing if they could kick the habit for a day. If so, the theory went, they would see the benefits and might give up for good.

Because I was a smoker when this started, I didn't see it that way. One day without smoking made me feel worse, not better. Now that I haven't smoked for a few decades, I pay no attention to the Smokeout. I had to check to make sure it was still around.

The Smokeout did have one advantage that the effort to combat bullying does not. Smokers know that their habit wastes their money and ruins their health. If they could stop, they would. Bullies, on the other hand, rarely see any downside to their actions. They might be persuaded to change their behavior if they somehow became victims themselves. But that would require even bigger bullies, which would kind of defeat the whole purpose.

If they are going to kick this bullying habit, they need to follow the example of many ex-smokers and find a substitute. I suggest gum.

That's not as flaky as it sounds. Many a smoker, including me, has chewed his way to better health. And because most schools outlaw gum chewing, introducing it as a reward for good behavior is something that would get noticed. In the battle against bullying, there should be no bad ideas and no end to the crusade.